ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Murder, intense violence, terrorism, blades, trauma, anxiety, and panic attacks. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.

Author's Note: Dearest readers, welcome back to the ongoing adventure. It's been quite some time since I've posted and I couldn't be happier to be continuing this journey. Thank you so much for your patience and support, whether you've been with me from Chapter: 1's premiere or you're just getting started now. So much has changed since the beginning of "The Frozen Force." It continues to be the biggest passion project I've ever created. So much so, that I've decided to go out with a bang and make it the last fanfic I ever write before I focus on original works. On personal notes, I've strived to better find myself in this ever-changing world. My account and anything I ever create will always be a safe space for people to be themselves. This being said, my stories and all I stand for are LGBTQ friendly. I identify as non-binary, my pronouns are they/them, and my preferred name is Sparks. Like the characters in these stories, we are always growing and learning more. That is my wish for all of us. Now, it is my utmost pleasure to transport you back to a galaxy far far away. Welcome...to "The Frozen Force."

Long Live Imagination,

~ Sparks Gavilán

GOLDENHEART STORIES PRESENTS...

A SPARKS GAVILÁN PRODUCTION...

- GALACTIC HOLONEWS SYSTEMS ONLINE. ACCESSING IMPERIAL ARCHIVES -

"And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled."

"It's absolute chaos in the Federal District tonight. I can see smoke rising from the Jedi Temple!"

"The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!"

"This just in. Martial law has been declared across the Core Worlds."

"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger!"

"Stay indoors at all times. If anyone has any information regarding a Jedi in their area, they are advised to contact authorities as soon as possible. Do not approach the Jedi under any circumstances."

"In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!For a safe and secure society."

"As of today, the Imperial Senate has passed the Defense Recruitment Bill. By order of Emperor Palpatine, the transition from clone troopers to civilian recruitment will begin effective immediately."

"By this momentous act, we shall usher in a new era heralded by the Imperial stormtrooper."

"Bravo to Imperial High Command. Sightings of a Jedi reported on Bracca. Please advise."

"This is no longer your concern, Bravo. We'll take it from here."

"Protests continue for the fifth day on Lothal. Rioters are calling for the release of Ephraim and Mira Bridger, a pair of dissidents accused of broadcasting anti-Imperial messages over comm channels.

"The treacherous Jedi Order may be wiped from existence, but their ideology creeps through. You can find it in the furthest reaches, corrupting the minds of our youngest citizens. Trust in your Empire. Protect your homes and those you love. If you see anyone practicing the cursed religion of the Jedi, report the activity to your local authorities immediately."

"Tensions continue to spark on Ryloth. The terrorist leader, Cham Syndulla has bombed another Imperial convoy. Our emperor vows to reinforce the planet with more troops and bring this warmonger to justice."

"After numerous failed negotiations, members of the Mimbanese Liberation Front have only doubled their efforts to resist Imperial colonization. As the fighting intensifies, we can only hope the Mimbanese will see reason and understand that joining the Empire is their only salvation."

"Bravo to Imperial High Command. I know what I saw."

"You better get your head right, Bravo. Mapuzo's a mining colony."

"It was him. Obi-wan Kenobi."

"We'll handle this, Bravo. Stand down and await further orders. Do not engage."

Locals are calling it the "Westhills Massacre." Demonstrators on Lothal had gathered to protest polluted crops when a trooper-involved shooting occurred. Acting lieutenant Piers Roddance had this to say:

"It is positively shameful to see how quickly a populace can twist events. A populace of which I have sworn an oath to protect. What happened in Westhills was a result of a smuggling dispute. By the time my unit arrived on the scene, the damage was done. I've said it once and I'll say it again. I'll say it as many times as I have to. In Emperor Palpatine's name, stormtroopers have a code to abide by. We do not fire on civilians."

"In the wake of a massive robbery on Aldhani, the Senate has passed the Imperial Emergency Act. Under this directive, we're seeing an increase in Imperial authority throughout occupied worlds. Meanwhile, several of the culprits behind the heist remain at large."

"If you have any information regarding the renegade, Cassian Andor, please contact authorities as soon as possible. Subject is considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach."

"Chaos on Narkina 5 today as Imperial reinforcements finished recapturing hundreds of prisoners after a massive breakout."

"It's being dubbed the "Rix Road Riot." According to reports, a homemade bomb was detonated at a funeral procession on Ferrix. Terrorists then launched an attack against the Imperial troops keeping overwatch. Word has reached the Senate that soldiers have allegedly 'opened fire' on Ferrixians. While this leaves some uneasy, we are reminded of Lieutenant Piers Roddance's words from a familiar incident just one year ago. Stormtroopers do not kill civilians."

"Imperial High Command to Bravo."

"This is Bravo, go ahead."

"Another convoy was hit in the Lothal Sector. This rebel cell must be shut down effective immediately. I want every unit in the system setting their sights on the Ghost. No ship is truly elusive."

"Terrorist leader Cham Syndulla continues to hinder Ryloth's progression under Imperial guidance. As his attacks on military bases increase, many are questioning if they are truly safe."

"Another wave of shipping lanes have been severed from the planet Ghorman. While there is an outcry of potential famine, the emperor has reassured the Senate that supplies has merely been rerouted due to rebel activity in the sector."

"Heads are turning in the Imperial Senate today as Senator Sofi Pru is appointed leader of the Council of Finances. While many seem grateful to see a younger face handling funds, others question her pick for Coruscant's Communications Council."

In recent news, another convoy has gone missing in the Raioballo Sector. That makes two military escorts in the last month with little to no evidence on a remote planet like Dantooine. By order of the emperor, another detachment has been sent to investigate the missing units. And with any luck-

18 YEARS LATER

"And with any luck-" A hand was quick to silence the bedside radio. Despite its swift reaction, the hand slinked sluggishly back behind the covers. Its owner's tired groan was rivaled only by the sound of thunder echoing beyond her tent. Harsh gusts blew against the silvery tarp as she tossed and turned in her blankets. She didn't make it very far into her roll before bumping into a toned, bare chest. Several pale fingers found their way into her ebony curls and lovingly caressed her head.

Her companion's voice was as smooth as his touch. "Good morning, lovely."

Like a strike of lightning, the woman's voice snapped against his. "You're still here?" she blurted, her hazel eyes shooting open. Flabbergasted, the man withdrew his hand and bolted upright. He watched as his lover lunged over the bed to check her chronometer for the time.

"Relax, Sola." Her companion assured while fixing his blonde tresses. "It's not even sunrise." His styling efforts were futile as Sola flung a pillow at his face.

"Pav, have you gone mental?" Sola scolded. "Do you have a death wish? If the captain finds us together like this-"

"Sola-"

"After everything we've worked towards-"

"Sola..."

"Years of academy training-"

"Hey," Pav asserted and inched his way over to her bedside. He wanted to keep cuddling, but she was already rushing to get dressed. Her smooth dark skin was soon covered in a well-pressed, grey uniform. "You worry too much, love. You always have."

"You were supposed to be gone after-"

"Our night of stormy passion?" Pav teased. "Which need I remind you was just as frowned upon as the predicament we're in now. And also, you fell asleep first. I was merely your pillow."

He flashed a coy smirk, making sure his teal eyes remained fixated on her gaze. "You're insufferable," Sola grumbled.

"You love me," Pav whispered. "Plus, it's good that another storm is brewing over the plains. It gives me time to sneak back to my tent before sunrise and-"

In that instant, Sola's bedside comlink started chiming. "Attention all personnel." Sola and Pav's eyes widened, recognizing their captain's voice immediately. "Attention all personnel. I want this squad ready to move in ten minutes."

"Ten?" Sola and Pav mouthed to each other before hastily scrambling throughout her tent. While Sola was already finishing getting dressed, Pav was still finding clothes he'd kicked off across the area. He hurriedly yanked up his officer's tunic and prayed the fabric wasn't too wrinkled. Matching pants puffed beneath the tunic as he rushed to clip a utility belt. Both he and Sola soon realized that they had each other's belts when neither fit properly. "Kriff," they cursed in unison before hastily swapping. Time was running out as Sola zipped up her boots and Pav retrieved their code cylinders. The tiny device was part of an officer's identity and was stuffed into an upper breast pocket. Together, the duo adjusted their tight-fitting officer's caps. These kepis had narrow brims which obscured most of their foreheads as they nodded to one another.

"How do I look?" Pav panted.

"Like a mess," Sola huffed. "But that's normal for you. Now go before someone sees you in here!"

As he snuck out first, Pav took an extra moment to adjust her rank bar. Two solid red squares resided atop a pair of blues, signifying her position as a lieutenant. With a deep breath, Sola withdrew a personal holoprojector. Despite being in a rush, she'd start her day as she always had: In the name of something greater. Remembering her purpose, she activated the projection and observed a holographic fist. Several words flickered above it, reading:

Imperius Unitada Ober Totallex

"Empire united over all," Sola affirmed before powering down the device. Emerging from her tent only solidified her military devotion, as she glimpsed a black and white banner swaying in the wind. The bold, cog-like insignia of the Galactic Empire held dominion over their camp. It was inspiring to see the flag still standing after the night's horrendous storm. Sola smiled, finding courage in all it had stood for. And through her own studies and academic devotion, she could finally make a difference herself. Not as a mindless worker in the Core Worlds, but as an active leader in the greatest military the galaxy had ever known. As a newly-graduated officer, she was ready to serve her emperor. All the more reason she was scolding herself for exploring a night with Pav. She had to stay focused. And yet even as she tried to, Sola found herself glancing over at her classmate's tent.

The buffoon emerged with a fake yawn and lackadaisical stretch. The likes of which actually seemed to fool the nearby troops. "Morning," he greeted Sola as if they hadn't just spoken. "I hope you...slept well." Her glare was enough to have him smirking, and she adored him for it. "Shall we get the 'plastoid posse' rounded up?" he teased and she bit back a chuckle.

Stepping ahead of him, Sola raised her voice to the adjacent tents. "You heard the captain!" the youth brayed. "We are on the move in less than five!"

"Keep it moving, people!" Pav brayed alongside her. "Today!" They grinned at each other, relishing in having any sliver of power over soldiers even older than them. A bearded grunt emerged from his tent and scoffed at Pav. The young man was quick to retaliate by straightening his cap. "Have a problem, trooper? No? Then get a move on!"

Sola and Pav stood proudly at the camp's edge, having rounded up their deathly cattle. Marching together, an entire squad of Imperial stormtroopers formed up behind them. Formidable and indistinguishable from each other, stormtroopers formed the backbone of their glorious empire. For those old enough to remember the Republic's collapse, these soldiers were a faded reminder of the clones who once fought for freedom. But their shiny, pale armor remained only in memory. The once bold visor of a Phase II trooper were now split into two separate lenses. The DC-15's of old had been replaced by versatile E-11 rifles. Their light and compact features allowed the Empire to mass-produce them on a monumental scale. The helmets appeared more organic, and their wearers were far from identical warriors bred in a laboratory. With clones being deemed obsolete for the emperor's military, stormtroopers consisted of recruited soldiers from across the galaxy. The likes of which weren't bound to a single genetic mindset, but instead a string of agendas. While some stormtroopers were paying off debts, others were finding any way to serve their mighty Empire by all and any means.

Now, this faceless unit stood at attention alongside Sola and Pav. Silence filled the camp as Dantooine's winds whistled across the damp plains. The smell of rain filled the air as a pair of boots came stomping from the lead tent. The hem of a thick, waterproof greatcoat trailed just above those boots. United in pitch black fabric, the hunched figure stepped onward. Every advance prompted a salute from the troopers he passed along the way. Like his subordinates, the captain donned a kepi. And while it did shroud his balding head, it only drew more attention to his piercing, blue eyes.

Sola and Pav were quick to salute their captain. Beating her to speaking up, he blurted. "Troops assembled, Captain Stasio."

Stasio's thick mustache often made any look of impression difficult to read. Before uttering a single response, his gaze fell to Pav's rank bar. He frustratedly straightened it, and only then could he proceed with speaking. "I've received new orders from Imperial High Command. "We're doing one more sweep for the missing units and then going offworld."

"Offworld, sir?" Pav questioned and Sola bit back a wince. "Over forty troopers are missing. We were supposed to give them at least a week's worth of searching."

The captain stared Pav down and stepped closer. Thunder rumbled in the distance as he bellowed. "Are you questioning a direct order from Imperial High Command, boy?"

Pav hurriedly hung his head while Sola stiffened her posture to the point of pain. "No sir," he murmured. "Sorry sir."

Stasio withdrew and addressed the unit as a whole. "As I was saying. Today will be our final sweep for the missing units. These storms will only ruin any traces of finding anyone anyway. Need I remind you all that the galaxy is ever changing and the Empire rises to meet every challenge it throws. We prioritize only the most pressing of matters and after today...we are being rerouted to Ryloth. Our squad will be reinforcing stationed units to put down the Twi'lek insurrection once and for all." Stasio jabbed a gloved hand towards a forest beyond the hills. "I want a thorough search conducted of those woods. By 14:00, we'll return to pack up camp and make for Ryloth. Am I clear?"

"Sir yes sir!" the stormtroopers and officers barked in unison.

"Move it out," Stasio scoffed with a flourish of his hand.

"Squad-" Sola croaked, trying to come anywhere close to matching Stasio's intensity. "-forward!" While she struggled to command the group with her voice, there was enough blind loyalty for the stormtroopers to follow her anyway. Together, the squad began a long march across Dantooine's plains and towards the nearby forest. Their colors began bold, with Stasio's dark uniform fading towards Sola and Pav's collection of greys. All of which culminated into the mass of white-armored soldiers trailing behind them. Thunder continued to rumble on the horizon as a veil of storm clouds shrouded any hope of a sunrise. By the time a light drizzle had reached the squad, they were already entering the forest.

Raindrops pattered against the high trees and disheveled weaker leaves. It mattered not how much the officers had shined their boots, for they'd be sinking into the mud soon enough. The group traversed a well-worn path frequented by moisture farmers and wandering traders. As they did so, they'd occasionally check the surrounding treeline for any sign of the missing units.

The rainfall increased, to the point of which it was almost irksome hearing it tap against stormtrooper armor. Sola could feel the brim of her cap dampening and tried scrubbing water off of it. Peering up, all she did was endure several raindrops to the face as they breached the canopy. Her leather holster was soaked, causing rainwater to drip from her officer's pistol. The model RK-3 was small in stature, but its grip still had a prominent protrusion. The only one who seemed completely unfazed was Captain Stasio. He might as well have been an unfeeling droid, trudging through the mud and embracing the rainfall.

In an effort to make conversation, Pav dared to speak up again. "I'd wager you're ready to get off of this planet, captain."

Sola braced herself, thinking her lover to be a glutton for punishment. To her shock, Stasio rolled his eyes and actually humored the youth. "Of course I bloody am," he groused. "Ryloth will earnestly be a refreshing sight. Some soldiers yearn for the quietness of it all. Out here in the middle of nowhere. But the quiet makes you careless. It makes you weak. Putting down that Twi'lek insurgency will keep this unit sharp."

Seeing that Pav's comments had gone unscathed, Sola chose to speak her mind as well. "Captain-" she began. "Do you think there's any hope of us actually finding the missing units out here?"

Stasio glanced over his dark shoulder and brought his voice down to a murmur. "No," he answered. "Who knows what became of the damn fools. But we must follow our orders. This search, like every other, will be filed with Imperial High Command. There can be no missteps. Then it's off to Ryloth, where we-"

Thunder rumbled along with a sharp crackle and hiss. Not bright enough to be lightning, yet powerful enough to make Sola shudder. Stasio's cap was swiveling in midair, and the rest of his body was already thudding to the ground. Sola hardly had time to process what had happened. She'd barely seen the red streak zip through the treeline mid-conversation. Her eyes darted downward, glimpsing the sizzling hole in Stasio's temple. His shocked, lifeless eyes became a blur as Pav hurriedly shoved Sola to the ground.

"Sniper!" he shouted. "Sniper! Find cover!"

Stormtrooper heads swiveled. While some tried to get a fix on where the shot came from, others crouched and tried to get off the main path. Pav shielded Sola with his body as they pressed against the nearest shrub. While under cover, she had a moment to further glimpse what had become of their captain. Half of his body was being claimed by the soil and sinking into the mud. His rank bar was disheveled from the fall and tainted by Dantooine's loamy essence. Another shot went off, this time from the rear flank. Shattered plastoid spewed from a stormtrooper's chest as she fell dead. Once the unit turned, another shot came from Stasio's direction and hit another trooper.

"Multiple shooters!" Pav called out. Realizing he and Sola were now in command, he drew his RK-3. Despite her willingness to serve the Empire, Sola had yet to truly experience any form of combat. With shots echoing and bodies falling, her heart started racing. "Sola!" Pav urged. "Come on!" Her body locked up as she could hardly reach for her pistol. Understanding her state of shock, Pav defaulted to protecting her. "Stay down," he asserted, gripping her shoulder. "You hear me? You find a place to hide and stay down." Without another word to her, Pav launched himself towards the path's center. "Troopers!" he shouted. "On me!" Although he was eager to lead the squad, Pav didn't even have an enemy to shoot at.

The rainfall was picking up, making orders even more difficult to hear. A long pause between shots ensued, prompting the stormtroopers to check their losses. "Don't bother!" Pav blurted in the moment. "Form up! Weapons ready!"

The squad formed a circle, keeping their heads rotating amidst the storm. Every sound had their pulses pounding. Snapping twigs, shifting leaves, and screeching birds had the troopers jumping at shadows. Their drenched E-11s swayed in the rain while Pav rigorously wiped drops from his face. Even though Sola kept her head down, she too looked towards the surrounding trees. She gasped when something drifted between lightning flashes. Dark blurs darted between the tree trunks, causing the troopers to panic.

"There!" one of them shouted and fired. Her shot prompted another to react impulsively. Their blasts scorched the muddy inclines above and drew other troops to look that way. With their attention diverted, a lightning strike revealed another hooded figure emerging from the opposite side. It fired, striking a stormtrooper in the arm. Once the main unit turned to face the shot, a wide array of blasterfire erupted from multiple angles. For the attackers had used their pause and the cover of rain to merely advance. Stormtroopers blindly fired while continuing to fall.

"Hold!" Pav yelled fruitlessly. "Hold your lines!" He angrily fired his pistol into a figure several times until the next lightning flash revealed it to be a tree. Despair and exasperation took hold as more lasers came spewing down. Recharging his weapon, Pav fired towards one of the muzzle flashes and hoped he'd hit someone.

One of the attacking lasers struck a nearby tree, sending bark splintering through the air. One of the larger pieces launched into a trooper's neck, making him stumble back towards Sola. She watched in horror as he hopelessly clawed at his mesh, gurgling for air. Sola gasped as a layer of blood oozed down, coating the trooper's armor in fresh crimson. The trooper fell beside her and the impact caused his helmet to go rolling off. As the chaos continued to rage on, all Sola could do was remain focused on the choking soldier. His exasperated, silver eyes twitched while his lips filled with blood. The splinter in his neck swayed with each labored croak. And that sound. That raspy...bubbly sound...was louder than all others for Sola. So loud, that it brought tears to her eyes and had her fleeing the scene.

Never once drawing her pistol, she sprinted out of the bushes and immediately sought better cover. Sola loosed an impulsive whimper as the sounds of her dying squad rang out behind her. Noticing a collapsed tree along the path, Sola dashed towards it. She was hardly breathing as she slid under the log and shrouded herself in a pile of drenched leaves. Even her hiding spot couldn't drown out the sounds of death. Blasterfire continued to echo across the path as Pav led the squad on. They couldn't follow his orders to hold a line, for there weren't enough survivors to even form a defensive line.

From Sola's low angle, she could see Pav's muddied boots leading a few troopers off of the path. "Up there!" he warned.

"Behind!" a stormtrooper shouted.

Suddenly, something burst from above. Some, insurmountable blast was strong enough to send the survivors tumbling in multiple directions. A second burst went off, and some troopers even collided with trees. This phenomena was followed by another, equally ominous hiss. The likes of which had hardened soldiers turning into screaming victims. Sizzling strikes reached Sola's ears as she tried to make herself as small as possible. As the final trooper fell, Sola gasped when Pav was thrown a few feet in front of her. He struck the ground with a groan and slowly raised his head. Deprived of his pistol and cap, all power had been drained from the youth. Only fear remained as he frantically crawled for his life. He made eye contact with Sola and chose to inch towards her.

She couldn't find it in herself to speak, and only panicked further when another pair of boots dropped in from behind Pav. They closed in, taking their time to reach Pav as though he were helpless prey. Tears swelled in Sola's eyes as she met Pav's frightened gaze. He stopped crawling as one of the boots stepped on his back. It applied pressure, making him wince until forcing him to flip over. Once he was on his back the sharp hiss only intensified. "N-no," Pav uttered. "No. Please! Mom!" he wept. "Mom!"

In that instant, a steady...green laser pulsed from above. It burned its way through Pav's chest and stayed impaled until the light left his eyes. Tears rolled down Sola's cheeks as she clasped her lips to keep from screaming. The beam retracted from Pav's lifeless body and the killer's boots leapt elsewhere. Rain overwhelmed the silence as Sola stayed still, unsure when to ever move again. Her body was frozen in a state of shock, staring at Pav's corpse. As she tried to steady her breaths and slowly remove her hand, a sudden surge yanked her from behind.

It was as if an unseen apparition had siezed her by the legs. All hope of securing her resolve had failed. For the second Sola was dragged, she started screaming. Her fingers haplessly clawed at the soil, scraping up dirt and fallen leaves. Before she knew it, Sola was out of the shadows and hovering upside down. Her struggle kept her flailing in midair, sending her kepi and holoprojector plummeting back to the ground. Only from above could she see the decimation of her entire unit. Stormtrooper bodies lined the pathway like pale, scorching skeletons. And as Sola came to terms with the atrocities around her, she could partially make out a hooded figure standing below. Its arm was extended to her, as if stringing her along like a puppet. Using its powers, the figure threw Sola to the ground just as it had Pav.

Fearing what was to come, Sola fearfully backed up against the log. She could barely speak let alone breathe as the hooded figure stepped closer. Wiping the rain from her eyes, she observed its camouflaged, leaflike cloak. Sola's stomach dropped as she came to terms with both the success and failure of their mission. While they had indeed found the cause of the missing units, they too had met the same fate. Unsure what to say or do as a second hooded figure emerged, Sola was frozen with fear.

The figure knelt before Sola and slowly observed her. Each passing moment caused the stranger's lips to twist into a deeper scowl. "Every day your Empire kills," the older woman said. She raised her hand, and used her abilities to pull the rank bar off of Sola's uniform. She took her time to examine it and run her thumb over each square. "It kills families...friends..."

"I didn't-" Sola gulped and the woman's head snapped towards her. Still, the youth persisted. "I didn't...k-kill anyone."

The hooded woman leaned closer and showed Sola her own rank bar. "You're an officer in the Imperial Army. What do you think they teach you to do at your academy? What do you think you'd lead others to do?"

"I-" Sola whispered, unable to form a full thought. "I-"

The woman retrieved her fallen holoprojecter and turned it on. The Empire's sigil emerged as she read it aloud. "Imperious...Unitada Ober Totallex. What's that mean?" Sola's silence caused the woman to lean closer. "Say it," she demanded.

"E-Empire united...over all," Sola trembled.

The stranger scoffed. "I bet you eat that garbage up, don't you? Follow that code through and through like a good little soldier. Do you even know how your Empire came to be?" Sola's continued quietness frustrated the woman. "It was built on ashes." She removed her hood and left a wave of auburn to take its place. Her cold, blue gaze alone had seen enough traumas to last a lifetime as she said, "Our ashes." There was no lie in that deathly stare, for eighteen years had been all but kind to Anna Dellian. "Tell me, officer-" Anna whispered. Sola glanced up at the second figure. A grey beard could be seen just beneath his hood. Anna's voice rolled Sola's attention back to her. "What does your Empire tell you about the Jedi?"

"They're-" Sola swallowed hard. "G-g-gone. Wiped out after their rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Anna murmured, lowering her head so that all Sola could see was a mess of long hair. "Your Empire worked to exterminatethem." Anna reached into her cloak as Sola braced herself. "Now it's my turn to tell you something, officer." No preparation on Sola's end could ready her for Anna igniting her lightsaber. She jabbed the blade forward, dipping its beam towards Sola's neck as she growled, "We are still alive. Tell your Empire that we'll kill as many of you as we have to do get that point across." With a rigorous flourish, Anna sliced the log beside Sola's head, startling her into backing up more. "Run," Anna prompted. "RUN!" she roared as the frightened officer dashed into the shadows. Thunder rolled as Anna put her hood back on. Keeping her blade ignited, a brief flash of lightning set her eyes aglow in the darkness. She just stood there, letting raindrops sizzle against her saber's plasma.

"Anna," the hooded man called. "Anna," he reiterated and hobbled over to her. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his dark complexion and fully grey hair. Regardless of all he'd been through, Destin Mattias still found himself struck with disbelief. "You let her go."

"To send a message," Anna murmured.

"To send a-" Mattias scoffed and pulled Anna by the forearm. "What do you think this is? What kind of resources do you think we have?"

"They'd just send more reinforcements anyway and we'd kill them just the same," Anna insisted.

"But this is different, Anna. In all of our time, you've never revealed what we are."

"Not to anyone I let live anyway," Anna groused.

"Dantooine has kept us safe," Mattias said. "We'll have to leave if-"

Completely ignoring his concern, Anna stomped back to the main path. "If this rain keeps picking up, we may lose some key valuables. We gotta start looting." As she dropped down to the path, she noticed a pair of hunched shooters already picking some of the bodies. "Oh good. Getting a headstart. Nice shots on the convoy, by the way."

The third hooded figure tilted his head towards Anna. He'd just finished collecting ammunition charges from a stormtrooper's belt as she and Mattias passed him by. His light brown eyes were as concerned as they were inquisitive. Had it not been for the hulking Cevrian at his side keeping him on task, he would've been more observant of Mattias' distress. Instead, Kristoff Bjorg continued to scavenge from his kills. "The squads are getting bigger," he said. Sven grunted in agreement while removing charges from a trooper's E-11.

"Funny how that works," Mattias scolded as Anna tried to walk away from him. "The first missing patrol was one thing. Two pushed it. But now this-"

"Oh spare me the lecture," Anna spun to meet him with a groan. Caring little for the amount of rain bombarding them, she offered her rebuttal. "If you're looking for a moral high ground to take in this, it doesn't exist. You joined me on each of those raids. Just as you've helped me take every life over the years."

"You don't have to keep throwing that back in my face," Mattias spoke calmly. "Anna, I'm not preaching to you about morality. I'm coming to you from a place of concern over our safety." Anna's shoulders relaxed over his words. "You think I still cling to the codes of our fallen Order? Anna, I've wanted the Empire to hurt for a long time. For Yelena...For Zodra. But I can't lose sight of our own security in the meantime. We've been jumping from planet to planet, living hand to mouth and constantly looking over our shoulders. Whether we want to see it or not, that life has taken its toll on each of us. Enough that we were able to make Dantooine stable for nearly a year until that Imperial scouting party showed." Noticing that Anna was growing frustrated with him, Mattias sighed. "All I'm saying, is that while we've held on to our anger...we can't become prisoners to it."

"Say that last part again, but slower." Anna snarked. "Mattias, anger is all we have to keep us going these days. And the Empire is giving us plenty to be angry about. We'll be ready when the next squad comes and we'll kill them too." She stepped away and knelt before the fallen Captain Stasio. "What've you got for me, Cap'n?" She flipped him over, his daunting black uniform now tainted with muddy soil. Anna saw no loss of dignity in her role. Her hands remained swift as she was reduced to a murderous scavenger. She plucked his code cylinders and unclipped his pistol. Searching his pocket, she found a small case whose jingle made her eyes widen. As she withdrew the container, she found a collection of Imperial credit coins.

"Kriffing hell," she whispered to herself while fingering the case and counting out the captain's sum. Peering over her shoulder, she made sure the others were occupied elsewhere. Only then did she pour several high-value coins into her hand and hide them in her satchel. She kept the rest in their case, rose with a grin, and showed it to her companions. "Found some creds," she declared.

"There's some good news," Kristoff professed.

As Anna tossed the coins to Mattias, he observed the shadows overwhelming their position. "We're losing any ounce of daylight we have," the elder said. "Let's wrap this up."

"Couldn't agree more," Anna answered. Several howls echoed in the distance while she observed the string of dead Imperials. "The kath hounds will eat well tonight." As the group departed deeper into the woods, Anna paused at a nearby tree stump. Sighing heavily, she stared at a hooded woman sitting idly atop it. Anna's ensuing clap was slow, yet irritated. She increased intensity, wanting each sound to rattle the seemingly unfazed person. "As always-" Anna declared. "I want to personally shoutout my sister for her valiant contributions of doing absolutely nothing. Thank you, Elsa. You're an inspiration to us all."

"Anna," Mattias scolded as she glanced back at him. "Enough."

"Am I wrong?" Anna answered frustratedly.

"Enough."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," Anna said before jabbing a finger at her silent sister. "And neither is she." As Kristoff and Sven went to check on Anna, Mattias took the time to approach his old Padawan's sister. While he'd seldom had the chance to truly mentor Elsa, the eldest Dellian was his best friend's student. In many ways, he still saw Yelena when he looked at her. And that was a connection he strived to hold on to.

Elsa might as well have been a statue as she sat on the stump, letting the rain take her to the point of pure soaking. "Elsa?" Mattias beckoned. "Elsa?" he called as she blankly stared into nothingness. Wherever she'd gone was nowhere pleasant. In fact, it was nowhere at all. A constant state of limbo between the present moment and a past she never wanted to remember. The future didn't matter, because her present state was a living hell. An infernal torment festering within and manifesting as cold silence. Years...and years of silence. Mutters and whispers to her peers while constantly screaming within. And with each passing moment, Elsa was doing everything in her power to not crack an inch more. To not snap entirely as the galaxy and time itself passed her by.

Mattias' gentle touch on her shoulders was enough to make her briefly shudder. "Elsa," he whispered.

"Hm," she answered.

"We're going," he spoke calmly, trying to keep her eye contact. "Come on."

"Okay," Elsa croaked and took his hands.

As he helped her up, Anna couldn't resist shaking her head in dismay over the sight. "How long has it been now?" she asked Kristoff.

"Eighteen years," he answered.

"We can't keep kriffing living like this," Anna huffed while watching Elsa struggle with Mattias' guidance.

THE FROZEN FORCE SEASON 5 - "From the Ashes"

Chapter: 121 All We Were

No one ever got used to hearing Kath hounds. Their ravenous howls were gutturally unsettling from any distance and left far too much to the imagination. To block out the sound of packs feasting on dead stormtroopers, Kristoff lost himself in the whir of a cubical device. It crackled and fizzed as he spun its nobs, trying to find a proper signal. Blast marks scraped its edges, reminding Kristoff of the violent means of which his group had obtained the equipment. Yet despite the damage it had taken, the Imperial insignia remained branded across the back. Kristoff squinted, biting his lip as a faint signal started to come through the scanner.

"What's your status?" a stern voice bellowed.

The responder was tired and full of murmurs. "Another failed op. Syndulla got away. The tail-head's house is destroyed but if he's still alive, it will only rally more to his cause."

"More reinforcements should be inbound for Ryloth. We'll shut it down."

"We'll need them. This last attack wasn't limited to Twi'leks."

"What do you mean?"

"We had eyes on the Ghost. That elusive ship evaded us once more. As long as Cham Syndulla has help from other rebel cells, these insurgents will keep springing up-"

A sharp screech came through over the speaker. Kristoff's eyes widened as the signal started to fade. "No," he whispered and desperately fought to retrieve it. "No no no-" Radio silence had him angrily slamming his fist on the device. "Damn it." His frustration was quickly met by a snort from Sven. Raising his head and turning towards the entrance of his tent, Kristoff found the Cevrian urging him to come out. "I'll...be right there," Kristoff grumbled. Shrouding the Imperial scanner in a raggedy tarp, he trudged out of the tent and joined the others.

While nightfall had descended over Dantooine's forests, the group's encampment was kept aglow by several dimly-lit power cells. The low settings helped them conserve power and stay undetected, even as the elements raged just beyond their tents. The smell of crisped rations still permeated from a scavenged skillet. Mattias barely managed to keep things sizzling while his other companions gathered around the centermost tent. Its pine green tarp swished in the wind as he glanced at the others. "Dinner will be along in a minute," Mattias assured.

"Take all the time you need," Anna scoffed. "It's not like we have anywhere to be."

Mattias ignored her comment and retrieved the Imperial rations. Crisped bits of meat poured on to battered plates that they'd stolen from the previous unit. He passed them across a makeshift table, receiving thanks from all but Elsa. Instead, the eldest Dellian delicately retrieved her meal and ate in silence. Mattias sat last, looking around at his companions and taking a moment to openly declare, "I thank the Force that you're all here with me tonight." He was no stranger to his sentiment being mostly ignored. Still, he found a reason to say it every single night. Normally Kristoff would at least humor his gratitude with a nod, but even he looked wound up tonight.

As much as Mattias tried to focus on eating, there was no denying the pain he'd felt. This ache extended far beyond his damaged spinal cybernetic, and echoed throughout those around him. It was as if the light had been sucked out of each person, draining them of the glowing color they once held so dear. And for years, their minds hadn't gone anywhere. They just...were.

Kristoff's fork hadn't reached a single ration. Instead, he kept a taut grip on the utensil while impatiently pursing his lips. Anna noticed his angst and asked "What's wrong with you?" with her mouthful.

Kristoff didn't answer and subtly shook his head. "At least try to eat a little something," Mattias suggested. "You need to keep up your strength."

Kristoff sighed, leering down at his meek meal. Each piece of meat knew was no different than they were. Just a shriveled shred of something bigger, withering away until the inevitable. The thought of such despair was so overwhelming, that Kristoff felt his heart pulsing. Hunger was getting the best of him as he slowly dipped is fork. He wanted to speak up, louder than he ever had before...and yet it felt as though another pair of hands was strangling him. Eager to break free and unwilling to look upon the rations any longer, Kristoff slammed his fork against the table. The loud bang sent the group into their own, personal spirals. Anna raised her fork in defense while Mattias impulsively reached for his spine. Sven's ears perked up while Elsa loosed a brief, yet sharp whimper.

"Enough!" Kristoff shouted and immediately tried to lower his tone. "What are we doing out here? What...have we been doing?"

"Surviving," Mattias answered easily.

"Sticking it to the Empire," Anna followed.

"Is that what either of you call this?" Kristoff snapped, unable to contain himself. "Living like rats. Living? No. Hiding like rats. For years, we've done nothing but hide."

"Kristoff," Mattias spoke calmly. "Hiding has kept us alive."

Kristoff spoke through his astonished gasp. "A-alive? You call this beingalive?" He flung his arm towards Elsa, who wouldn't even look at anyone. "You call this, alive?" He bit back tears to keep himself steady. "What? We just live out here until the end? This is worse than death. I listen to that scanner night after night. I hear about every atrocity the Empire is committing across the galaxy under the guise of 'protection and order'."

"Kriff the Empire," Anna said. "This is nothing new, Kristoff."

"I know it's-" Kristoff looked as though he'd rip the hair from his scalp. "I know it's nothing new. But you know what else I've been hearing over the scanner? The amount of trouble that rebel cells are causing the Empire. There are others out there willing to fight. But the Empire keeps shutting them down because they can't take them alone. But if these cells were to unite-"

"Kristoff-" Mattias warned.

"What?" he snapped.

"We're not a cell," Mattias explained.

"Well then we join a cell and fight back! Actually fight back!"

Mattias rose from his rickety seat to meet Kristoff at eye level. "We don't have the power to fight back!" the old man boomed. "Don't you get it, Kristoff? All we have is each other!"

"That's not true. There are others out there-"

"And they're dying," Mattias interrupted. "We weren't resourceful. We were lucky. The Republic fell and the Jedi Order was wiped out. It is a miracle of the Force that any of us survived the temple attack. This is the only family we have left."

Kristoff shook his head and sighed. "I know. But Mattias...Everyone we ever cared for-...didn't die for this. Yelena...Hans-"

Mentioning her lost lover's name had Anna's eye twitching. "Where would you even have us go?" she scoffed.

Kristoff swallowed hard. "Ryloth," he dared to say. "An insurgency there keeps gathering Imperial attention. So we join the Twi'leks. This Cham Syndulla guy. It sounds like he has connections and-"

"And then what?" Mattias cut him off once more. "We Jedi arrive on the scene and make things even morehigh profile? And more innocents suffer until the Empire tears us apart one by one? Is that what you want?"

"How far you've fallen," Kristoff whispered, sparking an anger within Mattias.

"How far I've-..." The elder's lips twisted into a scowl as his eyes reddened. Images of Yelena and Zodra flashed in his mind, although he was unsure whether or not they were there to help or hinder him. "You have no right to criticize my grief, boy. You have no right, to judge me for protecting the pieces of my shattered life. A refugee such as yourself should know better."

Kristoff unclenched his fists. "You're right," he professed. "And as a refugee I know about the hell I fought to escape. So to see that same hell now choking the rest of the galaxy is insufferable. Aren was just the beginning." Hearing a mention of her homeworld was Elsa's final trigger in the heated argument. Rising from her seat, she abandoned her meal and silently sped out of the tent. As tensions continued to rise, Anna angrily followed her.

Elsa cared little for the rain bombarding her as she reached her tent. Stumbling inside, she dropped to her knees and reached for her personal satchel. Her dark cloak spread with her swaying arms until she retrieved a small cube. Just touching the item was enough to ground her as she tapped into any semblance of the Force possible. Closing her eyes and slowing her breaths, Elsa levitated the box in front of her. The outer casing began to glow a light blue, just like the Guardian sabers of old. Its inner mechanisms cranked and unlocked a circular core, all of which projected a hologram.

And as the flickering figure emerged, Elsa opened her eyes. Exhaling in a moment of comfort, she stared at the robed man before her. His wise eyes and noble beard had served as a beacon of hope to her for years. She still recalled their first conversation...

"My, you're in a hurry." he'd said. "Elsa Dellian, I presume?"

"Yes."

"It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

The hologram's voice brought her back to the present moment.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Just hearing him speak again was enough to have Elsa tearing up. She'd listen to the recording many a night, and the master's words had never lost their effect.

"I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret... but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere and...in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you. Always."

The hologram powered down and the holocron resealed. Elsa held it close to her heart as she whispered freely, "Always." As she did so, a flash of lightning highlighted Anna's silhouette at her tent's entrance.

"Think he's still alive?" Anna asked, startling her sister. Elsa went quiet again, prompting Anna to advance. "I used to think so. But seeing as he sent that holocron message from inside the Jedi Temple in...you know...the heart of the Empire. It was probably the last thing he ever did."

"You-" Elsa uttered.

"Hm?" Anna inquired, forcing her to speak up.

"You don't know that," Elsa hissed, clutching the holocron like it was her child.

"Yeah. Well neither do you," Anna jeered. "But here's what I do know." She knelt beside her sister and stared her down. "You've been holding out on us. We've been able to handle anything the Empire's thrown at us for far too long without you, but when are you ever gonna drop the act? When are you gonna step up?" Elsa's silence only frustrated Anna further. "You think you're the only one who lost people that night? In that war? How long are you going to have us coddle you?" Anna shook her head in disgust. "At least I'm out here avenging those I've lost. She jabbed a finger at the holocron. "What would Kenobi think of you?"

"Anna," Elsa croaked. "Stop it."

She stood up, looming over Elsa in her own tent. "To know that the council's prodigy became a living ghost, barely able to lift a finger?"

"Please," Elsa begged as her eyes filled with tears.

"What would Yelena think of you? What would Stel-"

"Stop!" Elsa snapped.

"No!" Anna fired back. "You need to hear it because everyone else thinks you should be kriffing coddled! All you've ever been is coddled with you're kriffing ideals!" Anna lunged for another satchel next to Elsa's sleeping bag, the likes of which had her older sister instantly crying. The mere glint of her arcetron hilt had Elsa backing away as Anna held it up to her. "You swore to never use this again. To never even touch it after what happened. For years this weapon has been dormant."

"Anna. Please don't make me-"

"Touch it," Anna demanded.

Elsa broke out into a series of sobs as she backed up against tent's tarp. Any further and she would've undone the bolts holding it down as Anna closed in. "Please don't do this," Elsa cried.

"Take the damn weapon!"

"I can't!"

"Sure you can. I know you can." Infuriated, Anna held it closer to Elsa. "It's yours. What are you so afraid of?" In that moment, Anna activated Elsa's lightsaber from one end. Just hearing the blade's unique hiss and seeing its bright blue beam was enough to send Elsa into a horrific spiral. She unleashed a blood-curdling scream as a Force-repulse rippled beneath her feet, snapping every bolt around her tent. The anxiety-induced burst from seeing her lightsaber glow was so powerful, that Elsa fainted within seconds. She collapsed against the mud, letting the rain douse her as the others came running.

"Anna!" Mattias roared while hobbling over. "What have you done?"

Anna deactivated Elsa's lightsaber and stared down at her sister. "I was-" she stammered. "Trying to-...I-" She started to dissociate, watching Kristoff and Sven tend to her unconscious sister. And as the rain showered over Elsa's body, her mind succumbed to the memories of her lightsaber. Any calls for her to wake up were futile, much like her ability to escape the past.

18 YEARS EARLIER

Smoke, ash, and blasterfire consumed the night. Staring across Coruscant's skyline, all of the death didn't feel real. Elsa couldn't even explain it. And in that state of pure confusion, she spotted a Jedi corvette gliding beyond several collapsing verandahs from the temple. Taking one last leap of faith, Elsa dared to keep her lightsaber ignited. Dehydrated, she couldn't raise her voice to call out to the pilot. Instead, she swayed her saber like a signal flare...hoping her arm wouldn't give out. She dropped to her knees, surrendering to exhaustion as the ship turned her way. The ventral hatch dropped, and she'd never been so joyful to see a familiar face. Sven stomped out and pulled Elsa into his arms. Carrying her up the ramp, she nearly fainted from fatigue in those moments. Staring up at the metallic ceiling, she heard the hatch seal behind them.

Sven's frantic grunts had Kristoff pattering at the controls. "I know we're taking fire!" he huffed. "I'm getting us out of here!"

Sven set Elsa down in the hold, where she observed a distraught Anna and injured Mattias. She wanted to comfort them through their pain. In fact, all any of the three wanted to do was hold each other. And yet each was paralyzed in their own way. Gripped by terror and severed from within. Mattias found the strength to glance over at Elsa and whispered, "Yelena? Where is she?"

Elsa couldn't hold back tears as she slowly shook her head. "I'm so sorry." Mattias fell back to his pillow, shutting his eyes as he softly broke down. While both Jedi were overwhelmed with grief, Anna stumbled towards the rear viewport. Even as Kristoff began a hasty ascent offworld, she took one last look at the Jedi Temple. The very home she and so many had known since childhood was now crumbling in flames. She didn't have time to wonder how many had made it out nor why anything had happened. The suffering of it all was debilitating as a single thought invaded Anna's mind. It was the same potent fear that everyone aboard that corvette had come to realize. The Jedi Order had fallen...and the galaxy would never be the same.

No one aboard that corvette felt the common blast of being launched into hyperspace. Any nausea Elsa typically endured had been suspended by her constant state of shock. She staggered out of the hold, still listening to Master Mattias fading whimpers. Each mournful sound had images of fallen Jedi flashing through Elsa's head. She saw Stel's limp body and Yelena's sorrowful eyes, both of which had her bowing her head. All of the saddening imagery was met by a series of enraged slams as Anna furiously struck a wall. Tears fled her eyes as she mourned for Hans, still wishing she could have grabbed him in time.

Elsa clung to the cockpit's doorway and peered towards Kristoff. "You-...shouldn't be up," he fretted. "Please try to get some rest."

"Where are we going?" Elsa uttered.

"I set us on a jump for Wild Space. It'll at least give us some time to figure out what's going on." Sven grunted and Kristoff nodded to him. "Good point," he concurred before turning to Elsa. "Have any contacts we can reach out to?"

Elsa froze up as her reddened eyes wandered the floor. Her clouded senses felt anything but light as she tried to make sense of the situation. "I'm...not sure," she professed. Taking it upon herself to understand things while the others were distressed, she stepped into the cockpit. "How did this happen? Why did Anakin and those troopers attack us?" Elsa rubbed her temples, trying to focus on Skywalker instead of the pain of her Padawan's grim demise. "What was it he'd said? The council is no longer in control...and that the Order would pay for its betrayal."

"What betrayal?" Kristoff questioned. He reclined from the pilot's seat, finding any sliver of comfort in the constant whir of hyperspace travel.

"I know the Order hadn't always been seen as fair to many Jedi," Elsa considered. "Perhaps something had pushed him over the edge?"

"I don't care how powerful Skywalker thinks he is-" Kristoff added. "The Republic won't let him and his unit get away with this."

"You're right," Elsa agreed as an idea sparked within. "Speaking of which, I know just who to contact." She stepped up to the dashboard as Kristoff and Sven slid back. Typing in a holocomm frequency, Elsa waited patiently until a familiar...armored figure projected into view. "Frost," Elsa greeted, on the verge of collapsing into tears.

The commander turned to face her, not once removing his helmet as he often had. "E-...Elsa," he realized. "You're alive."

The eldest Dellian's heart sank. "I'm-...Wait. You know about Coruscant?"

"Something...terrible's happened," Frost explained. "Reports are coming in from across the galaxy that Jedi units are under attack. Where are you?"

Elsa swallowed hard and could feel the heaviness of her companions' stares weighing down on her. "We're...in hyperspace," is all she divulged.

"We've established a safe zone on Aren," Frost assured. "The 213th is working diligently to keep communications up so we can get a hold on the situation. Reroute here as quickly as you can. Please...I'm-" Frost took a deep breath. "I'm worried about you. Transmitting my coordinates to you now."

As the coordinates chimed in, Elsa prepared to answer. Moments before she could, Anna slammed her fist on the dashboard and cancelled the call. "Anna!" Elsa gasped.

"Are you out of your kriffing mind?" her little sister growled. Silence filled the cockpit while Mattias listened from the hold. "Did you see what the clones did back on Coruscant?"

"What the 501st did," Elsa corrected.

"We can't take any chances," Anna hissed. "Elsa...the temple is gone. We have no idea how widespread this is. Why this is even happening."

"Which is why we need to trust what allies we do have."

"How well can you trust Frost versus any of those troopers in that temple? Versus Anakin-"

"I trust Frost with my life," Elsa asserted as her voice cracked from desperation. "We have saved each other countless times. If something were amiss I'd sense it."

"Would you?" Anna questioned. "Even now in all this grief and anguish? Could you know your right from your left at this point? Because I barely kriffing can. As far as I know, the people on this ship are the only ones I trust."

"Anna," Elsa spoke calmly. "I acknowledge the loss we went through."

"Oh do you-"

"I acknowledge that we're both in shock," Elsa pushed onward. "But Frost would not hurt me. And right now, he may be our only chance at figuring out what's going on."

"The Republic just tried to kill us," Anna croaked. "And you want to take us straight into a now Republic-occupied territory. We were better off dying in the temple."

"The Republic didn't attack us," Elsa refuted. "Anakin did. For all we know, he acted alone. And if he turned to the Dark Side, we need what allies we still have to stop him." Elsa glanced back over her shoulder to the pilot. "Kristoff," she said. "Take us to Aren."

"No," Anna blurted. "Kristoff don't you kriffing dare. This is suicide!"

"She might be on to something," Kristoff voiced as Anna tugged at her hair exasperatedly.

"I don't believe this banthacrap. We didn't escape just to die."

"Then we put it to a vote," Elsa declared. "If we truly are what remains of democracy, then we can uphold it as a team. Those in favor of not going to Aren, speak now."

Anna had her hand up before Elsa even finished talking. "Don't-" Mattias coughed from the hold. "Don't...go." Anna angrily gestured to the wounded elder.

Elsa sighed and continued. "Those in favor of going to Aren." Anna shook her head in disgust as Kristoff and Sven put their arms up. Knowing Elsa was the deciding vote, all she could do was drop to her knees in despair. "Anna-" Elsa tried to reassure even as her little sister broke down. "I need you to trust me."

"They're gonna kill us all."

"That's not going to happen."

"It's a trap and they're going to kill us all!" Anna snapped and stormed back into the hold. Slamming the door behind her, she locked herself in with Mattias.

Elsa sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose. Peering down at Frost's coordinates, she nodded to Kristoff and said, "Do it."

Rocketing out of hyperspace, the corvette's approach to Aren proved to be different from previous encounters. Instead of being the isolated planet it had been in the past, Aren now had several Venators hovering over its northern hemisphere. Despite trusting Frost, Elsa had grown paranoid based on Anna's reactions. "Bring us in from the south," she told Kristoff. "We'll meet with Frost...and Frost alone."

Her response had Kristoff even second guessing as he tautly gripped the controls. "Are we...sure about this?" he asked.

With a deep, yet confident breath...Elsa answered. "Yes." Observing the locked door to the hold, she understood their circumstances. "I'll go alone," she said. "I'll meet up with Frost and prove things are alright. Once I return, you can all join me." Although worried, Kristoff and Sven ultimately obliged. As they soared over several forests, Elsa observed expanses of familiar terrain. "This is the route to Hunter's Haven," she said. "Land us in the forest leading up to it. I can hike it from there."

While Kristoff obliged and set the corvette down, he still took time to add "Please be careful."

"Always," Elsa replied and steadied herself. Before disembarking, she approached the door to the hold. In an effort to quell tensions, she performed her sister's memorable quintuple knock. "Anna?" she beckoned. "I'm...heading out now. I'm going to set this right, and I will find us the answers we seek. It's-" Elsa pressed her hand to the door. "-going to be okay. I have to believe that." As she left, Anna lingered on the opposite side of the door. Sitting with her back against it in the shadows, she peered up at the ceiling and considered all that could unfold. As Anna embraced the darkness of her grief in the passing moments, she focused on her ailing master. No amount of medkit-issued bacta spray could heal the brokenness within. Whether she wanted to accept it or not, they were all broken. And Anna would be damned if another person she cared about threw their life away.

Elsa's trek through the forest was eerily silent. The stillness of it all gave her too much time to think about everything she'd lost, especially as she recalled jogging through the woods with Stel. The painful memories only made her quicken her pace as she neared a clearing. Much to her surprise, Hunter's Haven had been transformed in her short absence. The Northuldra's sacred gullies had been partially gutted to make way for a Republic installation. Soulless, metallic walls protruded from the snow and formed a hastily assembled compound as members of the 213th guarded the perimeter. While the sight left Elsa feeling unsettled, she couldn't help but notice a lack of Northuldra in the area.

Before proceeding, she called the commander on her comlink. "Frost," she said. "I'm outside."

"Standby," he was quick to respond. "I'll come to you."

Every second felt eternal until the commander's prominent kama emerged from the compound's entryway. Frost descended from several grated platforms and checked the nearby treeline. "Over here!" Elsa whispered sharply, startling Frost.

Elsa could often anticipate what Frost's expression was under the helmet. But this time, he seemed so preoccupied that it was quite difficult to read. Then again, Elsa considered her own stresses over all she'd been through. Frost cautiously inched his way over, and stiffened when Elsa couldn't hold back. Upon reaching her, Elsa let her guard down. Her survival instincts since the temple faltered as she threw her tired arms over his shoulders. Frost's body might've been obscured by armor, but any mere physical touch was enough to prompt tears down Elsa's cheeks.

"Thank the Force, you're alright." Elsa whispered. "After all that's happened...I just-...It means everything to see you."

"And I you, Elsa." Frost quickly answered. "Where are the others?"

"Back on the ship. After what we've been through, they aren't the most open to trusting right now."

"That's understandable," Frost professed. "Well let's get you into the safe zone. We can bring them some supplies and hopefully change their minds."

Elsa followed Frost up the cold and grated platforms. The crunch of any snow clusters was soon replaced by that of hard-plated durasteel. "What happened to the Northuldra seeking refuge here?" Elsa asked. "This was sacred ground."

"Once the rest of the Republic showed up, we had to follow new directives," Frost explained. "The Northuldra have been relocated to a designated reservation for their continued protection. Until the conflict on Aren is resolved of course."

Elsa's brows furrowed as the method left a bitter taste in her mouth. "And Chieftain Ryder? Chieftain Honeymaren? Where are they?"

The compound's doors hissed opened as Frost motioned her inside. "You must be starving," he said. "I know rations weren't your favorite, but they'll do. And if you're hurt at all-"

"Frost," Elsa asserted as they entered an assembly area. The circular, two-floor room had members of the 213th taking inventory on multiple crates. Yet from the ground level to upper balcony, troopers didn't pay any mind to Elsa.

Frost paused, realizing he'd elected to ignore the Jedi's inquiry. "The chieftains were also moved to the reserve. To my knowledge, everyone has been well accommodated. It's no longer my...jurisdiction to know more." Any relief Elsa was feeling was starting to crumble all over again. It pained her to see what had become of Aren in her absence, and the tragedy on Coruscant was striking her even harder. "Elsa," Frost continued in an attempt to reassure her. "You can't put all of this on you. Not after everything you've gone through. I know this is no new lesson to you, but we can't help everyone."

Elsa huffed. "Yet you know I'll still try."

"It's who you are," Frost said. "But all any of us can do now is help those we can." He tossed her a ration pack and she nodded graciously. "I understand the mistrust, but you could've landed here."

"It was to satisfy both parties," Elsa insisted while struggling to get the ration packet open. Her nails plucked at the airtight, translucent seal. "We're-" she grunted. "-not too far of a hike from here though. I figure that just seeing you would be a good start for them. If you can spare a transport, we can meet up with them back in the east woods."

As Elsa started to tear open the ration packet, she felt a grim coldness take hold. The likes of which was not the common pain circling the planet, but instead similar to Elsa's. It was that same, daunting darkness that she'd felt back at the temple. And as she finished tearing her packet, a communicator crackled alongside it. Peering up, she noticed Frost pressing the comlink on his vambrace.

"East woods," he confirmed to an unknown source. "Likely a Jedi corvette in design."

"Copy that," the voice responded as Elsa's heart pounded. "Fighter squadron enroute."

"F-Frost?" Elsa stuttered as the chill gripped her body. Her breaths shortened as silence filled the once bustling assembly area. Working as a single unit, the clones ended their tasks and brought their direct attention to Elsa. The eldest Dellian couldn't bring herself to imagine what expression Frost had beneath his helmet. He had no feeling in his posture as he stared her down. "Frost," Elsa reiterated, hoping by some miracle to reach him. But with her companions' location divulged, she was of no further use to the ongoing directive...and was what she always had been: a primary target for Order 66. Frost might've seemed different, but he'd still retained his strategic skills and knowledgeable connection to Elsa. Making her all the more confused as he took a step back.

"No," Elsa choked as devastation filled her mind. No amount of deniability could stop her sister from being right nor Frost from raising his rifle. "Frost...No!"

The commander fired as Elsa hastily ignited. The ration packet crinkled at her boots, spewing its contents everywhere. Flourishing her double-bladed saber, she was quick to block his blast and Force-push him into the wall. Within seconds, clones from both the first and second floor opened fire. Men she'd bravely led across the galaxy were now actively trying to kill her as she raced to block their shots. Elsa didn't have time to think of an escape plan, for lasers were zipping in from every direction. Some scorched the nearby crates and tiles, leaving a high-pitched ringing in her ears. She Force-pushed who she could and rapidly spun her saber to keep blocking shots. It didn't help that Elsa was in no way trying to kill her adversaries as the clones increased their fire rate.

Between incoming blasts, Elsa found herself meeting the countless faces of her former allies. Their soulless visors flashed with each blastershot and those sparks took her back to a distant memory. She recalled standing before the 213th and prepping them for their first rescue mission. Yet no matter how nervous she had been, she still chose to deliver her speech.

"You are soldiers of the Republic and I thank you for your services."

Elsa weaved between blaster bolts, yet could not slow her breaths by any means.

"But your relief efforts on Rodia are proof that you are all more than armor and blasters on a poster."

The clones surged forward as a single pale unit, firing at Elsa through the smoke of their blasters.

"You are men and you are alive."

Elsa Force-pushed two clones into the upper railing and hoped she hadn't killed them.

"Take from this what you will. Judge me by my age or rank if you must."

"She's getting tired!" Doubles hollered from cover. "Keep up the fire!"

"But here I judge you by your actions, not by where you came from."

"Did someone say 'fire'?" Rip cackled while sparking up his flamethrower.

"And it is because we all have value, that I ask you to think twice the next time your finger nestles a trigger."

As the 213th kept Elsa pinned in the center, Frost remained reserved. The commander took his time, slowly stalking around the firefight and sizing his target up.

"Consider who stands on the other side of your blaster."

Frost recalled how Elsa had trained Stel to block lasers from clone troopers. How she'd trained him to wait for blasters to overheat.

"It could be someone's child...or someone's mother. Friend or foe, we have a duty to uphold."

Learning from her techniques...watching her grow and fighting alongside her...Frost was prepared. He slowly raised his rifle amid the chaos and took aim.

"But any victory means nothing if we lose sight of who we are."

Nestling his finger on the trigger, Frost noted Elsa's defensive patterns. She was far too distracted by the spray of lasers for her Force senses to fully protect her.

"So we're going to Hoth, not as soldiers but as rescuers. Because at the end of the day, all we have is each other. And wherever you go, I will stand with you."

Betwixt the vast assortment of lasers, a mighty blast rang out over them all. Perhaps it was loudest because it had traveled beyond Elsa's bold saber. Or maybe it was the proximity of such a hit that had drawn Elsa to the noise. Frost's calculations had proven devastatingly true. Under her stress, Elsa didn't even realize she'd been shot at first. But adrenaline could only carry her so far as her arms couldn't fully block the next shot. A half-raised arm yielded to a pulsating, stinging sensation. Slivers of smoke sizzled from Elsa's shoulder as her eyes darted to the sight of shredded fabric. Her gaze fell to the painful shot and then listed towards the perpetrator. Seeing herself in Frost's lethal sights brought pain to her heart. Elsa's knees weakened as the rest of her defenses crashed.

In a last ditch effort, Elsa threw up her arms and unleashed a Force repulse. The wave of energy knocked her attackers back, but only bought her limited time to duck behind a crate. Her shoulder felt as thought it had been set ablaze, and that intensity was only matched as Rip approached with his flamethrower.

Recovering from his fall, the flametrooper maniacally swayed his weapon over the crate. "Time to fry ourselves a Jedi!" he cackled.

Suddenly, a raucous clamor emanated from the adjacent corridor. With the majority of the unit focused on Elsa, barely any turned towards the set of lower doors hissing open. A pair of clones were backing up, hastily shooting at an unseen foe. In a furious flash of green, Anna decapitated one of the troopers and uppercut the second. Darting into the fray, she immediately sliced Rip's incendiary pack and Force-pushed him into Doubles. The strike to his equipment caused a chain reaction, incinerating them and any nearby clones.

"Anna?" Elsa uttered.

"I kriffing knew it was a trap!" her sister roared while shamelessly cutting down troopers. "We need to move now!" The clones turned their focus to Anna, who battled her exhaustion to take them head on. "Sister!" she shouted while engaging. "Help me!"

Elsa remained frozen, rubbing her wounded shoulder and feeling the indent in her cauterized flesh. Rising from cover, she immediately found herself face to face with Frost. He aimed his rifle just as she slashed it with her saber. Slicing his weapon in two, she raised her good arm to Force push him. But Frost remained ready and raised his vambrace to counter. He proceeded to activate a high-pitched, familiar soundwave that had Elsa screeching. Having studied her past, Frost kept a sonic emitter after learning about their effects on sharks from Manaan. The soundwaves disoriented Elsa until she dropped her weapon. As soon as Frost heard the hilt clatter to the ground, he lunged at Elsa.

"Stop!" she pleaded, raising her hands through the pain. Her ears were ringing and her arm was burning, all amid the insurmountable weight of exhaustion. Still Frost tackled her to the floor. He struck with enough force to send his helmet tumbling off of him. Pinned down, Elsa stared up into his deep, brown eyes. Gone were those nurturing pools that had once welcomed her with kindness. Instead, his gaze was narrow with a fury she'd never seen. To the point of which Elsa had to believe it wasn't Frost. It couldn't be.

"Frost," she croaked even while trying to push him off. "It's me. It's Elsa." Frost's expression never changed as his dark gloves siezed her pale neck. "It's-" she choked as desperation set in. Fighting through her pain, Elsa called upon what Force still flowed through her and pushed against Frost's abdomen. A short, yet powerful burst of energy sent him rolling off of her.

Even as she was still catching her breath, Elsa hurriedly crawled to check on her friend. "Frost!" she called. "Snap out of it! You-" She closed in just as Frost swept upward. By the time Elsa observed the glint of something darting across her peripherals, she had already heard the tear of fabric. A brief, crimson spurt emerged from her forearm as Frost swept his dagger. The very knife that'd been gifted by their Echani allies now came swinging for Elsa. Weakened from all she'd endured, Elsa could only reach for Frost's arms as he tackled her once more.

He pinned her to the ground again, this time making sure to keep her there. His armored knees dug into her shins, bringing greater tears to her eyes. Yet all of her pains were held back by the sheer willpower to keep Frost's dagger from striking her. He brought it down towards her chest, and her fingers desperately dug into his wrists.

The sacred blade of Eshan shook in their struggling grips, its sharp tip inches from Elsa's chest. She wanted to speak more, but she couldn't risk wasting energy. Sweat soaked her temple as her disheveled tresses became a mess across the grated floor. Her blaster wound pulsed while blood oozed from her trembling forearm. Elsa had never fully understood the meaning of one's life flashing before their eyes. But as the blade neared her body, there was no room for anything else. No present...no future. No Force to connect to. Only a timeline of broken dreams.

With each heavy and exasperated heartbeat, Elsa saw Frost all over again. Not as the fearsome killer above, but as the flustered recruit she'd met on Hoth. She saw the man she'd saved from the snow. The one she'd traveled across the stars alongside. The ally she'd shared many an embrace with...and even something more. Smoke and ash coated the ground from Rip's explosion. It tainted Elsa's blonde locks while a metal hilt rolled against her hip. Her abandoned lightsaber lay as powerless as she was amid the struggle.

"Frost," Elsa whispered breathily, hoping to find him one last time. And then came a sting...the likes of which had Elsa wailing on impact. Her body was sent into fleeting madness as the tip of Frost's blade punctured her chest. She could feel herself giving up as Echani steel slowly slid its way in. Her mind was racing all over again, this time fading from Frost. She saw Sir Porgen...Yelena...Stel...her long lost parents. Their lifeless eyes haunted her like phantoms, beckoning her to an unknown fate. And in that desperate, painful, and frightening moment...Elsa screamed.

Keeping one hand on Frost's wrists she dropped the other. Her scream never silenced, even as the blade dug deeper into her. But Frost's intensity suddenly lessened as a bright blue beam burst through him. Elsa was acting on autopilot, her sheer will to survive pushing the blade out of her. And as the dagger's blood trickled onto her chest, she realized what she had done.

Having only activated one side of her saber, Elsa had instinctually stabbed Frost in the chest. Coming out of her trancelike state, she immediately deactivated the blade as the commander collapsed beside her. Terror gripped her far worse than any injury as she responded with an animalistic sob. "Fr-" was all she could stomach uttering as she cradled the wheezing clone. "No...no."

The surrounding laserfire was as numbing as her injuries as she focused on Frost. His eyes listed in his critical state while she tried to keep him upright. Elsa hardly realized how shallow her breaths were as her eyes reddened further. Regardless of all he'd done and why he'd done so, Frost seemed...calmer in his fatal moments. His trembling lips formed a brief smile until horror took hold. As if looking at Elsa made him realize a terrible truth that only he could comprehend. "E-...Elsa," he stammered. "I'm sorry."

"No," she persisted, recognizing the softness in his eyes once more. "It wasn't you. Something happened. Something just-" Elsa's eyes widened as Frost's started to close. "Stay with me. Please! I'm sorry. I'll get you to our ship and-"

"I'm-" Frost murmured. "I'm-...so very sorry. Elsa..." Frost summoned what strength he could to squeeze her hand. Meeting her gaze with the kindness he'd always had, he spoke words he'd kept for far too long. "I love you." The corners of his lip twitched, as if finding any semblance of solace in his confession.

His grip on Elsa's hand loosened as his head fell back. "Frost?" she whimpered. "Frost? Frost!" Her cries were met only by Anna's ferocious grip. The younger Dellian grabbed her sister by the unscathed arm and yanked her to her feet. "No!" Elsa brayed.

"He's gone!" Anna shouted, dragging her sister across an array of clone corpses. Reinforcements were inbound, and all Anna could do was keep hauling Elsa despite any resistance. "Come on!" As she pulled her closer, Elsa's blood splattered across Anna's robes, coating them both. They exited the compound to find the landing platform in flames. Kristoff had piloted the corvette into landing position and lowered the ramp for an urgent pickup.

Sven was at its edge, blasting incoming troopers and urging them to board. Anna practically shoved Elsa inside as the ramp sealed behind them. "Go damn it! Go!" Anna shouted as Kristoff primed the thrusters.

As the corvette climbed out of Aren's atmosphere, the occasional rumble of incoming laserfire shook the ship. "Got some fighters on our tail," Kristoff warned.

"Lose them," Anna demanded. "Make the jump to hyperspace."

"To where?"

"Kriffing anywhere!" she snapped.

Kristoff inputed random coordinates while Elsa collapsed in the hold. Mattias was still recovering, but was in far better shape than the eldest Dellian. He scrambled to reach whatever was left in the ship's medkit and started to apply bacta supplements. "This won't be enough," Mattias worried. "She needs serious medical attention!"

The rest of Mattias' urgent words became yet another blur as Elsa sat back. She let herself succumb to the hold's shadows as her wounds confined her. Death was all she knew and the 'no kill' rule she'd advocated so mightily for had been shattered yet again. Only looking at her lightsaber's hilt was enough to prompt intense anxiety. She unclipped the weapon from her belt and tossed it to the floor. With its hard clang, she renounced her tie to the blade. Combined with the pain and loss of all she'd experienced, Elsa lost consciousness in the hold.

"Elsa?" Mattias beckoned, dropping the medkit. "Elsa!"

PRESENT DAY

"Elsa?" Mattias whispered. "Elsa."

While the rain persisted, she was no longer being drenched by it. Instead, it was pattering against Mattias' tent. He'd carried her inside and away from her sister for the time being. As her eyes slowly opened, he quickly raised his hands and said, "Take it easy. One step at a time."

Elsa's first thought upon waking up was that of the same curse she had felt for nearly two decades. Whenever she passed out, she experienced the pain of what happened those eighteen years ago. And every time she woke up, she was reminded that it was never a dream. And that her grim reality was far...far worse.

Mattias braced himself, although he'd grown accustomed to Elsa's stifling sobs. As she cried herself awake once more, all he could reiterate was "One step at a time."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of Season 5! I am both honored and excited to be telling this story again. Whether you're an older reader or new one, I appreciate all of the love and support you show me. Tune in next Friday, July 21st for Chapter 122: Vader's Wrath (Part I).

Long Live Imagination and May the Force be With You

~ Sparks Gavilán